Gilbert Islands were granted self-rule by UK in 1971 and complete independence in 1979 under new name of Kiribati. US relinquished all claims to sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati.

Geography

Kiribati

Location:

Oceania, group of 33 coral atolls in Pacific Ocean, straddling equator; capital Tarawa is about one-half of way from Hawaii to Australia; note - on 1 January 1995, Kiribati proclaimed that all of its territory lies in same time zone as its Gilbert Islands group (GMT +12) even though Phoenix Islands and Line Islands under its jurisdiction lie on other side of International Date Line

chief of state: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice President NA; note - president is both chief of state and head of government
elections: House of Parliament chooses presidential candidates from among their members and then those candidates compete in a general election; president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 4 July 2003 (next to be held not later than July 2007); vice president appointed by president
election results: Anote TONG 47.4%, Harry TONG 43.5%, Banuera BERINA 9.1%
cabinet: 12-member Cabinet appointed by president from among members of House of Parliament
head of government: President Anote TONG (since 10 July 2003); Vice President NA; note - president is both chief of state and head of government

Legislative branch:

unicameral House of Parliament or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (42 seats; 39 elected by popular vote, one ex officio member - attorney general, one appointed to represent Banaba, and one other; members serve four-year terms)
elections: first round elections last held 29 November 2002; second round elections held 6 December 2002 (next to be held by November 2006)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - BTK 17, MTM 16, independents 7, other 2 (includes attorney general)
note: new legislative elections were held in two rounds - first round on 9 May 2003 and second round on 14 May 2003

Judicial branch:

Court of Appeal; High Court; 26 Magistrates' courts; judges at all levels are appointed by president

Political parties and leaders:

Boutokaan Te Koaua Party or BTK [Taberannang TIMEON]; Maneaban Te Mauri Party or MTM [Teburoro TITO]; Maurin Kiribati Pati or MKP [leader NA]; National Progressive Party or NPP [Dr. Harry TONG]
note: there is no tradition of formally organized political parties in Kiribati; they more closely resemble factions or interest groups because they have no party headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures

Kiribati does not have an embassy in US; there is an honorary consulate in Honolulu

Diplomatic representation from US:

US does not have an embassy in Kiribati; ambassador to Marshall Islands is accredited to Kiribati

Flag description:

upper half is red with a yellow frigate bird flying over a yellow rising sun, and lower half is blue with three horizontal wavy white stripes to represent ocean

Economy

Kiribati

Economy - overview:

A remote country of 33 scattered coral atolls, Kiribati has few natural resources. Commercially viable phosphate deposits were exhausted at time of independence from UK in 1979. Copra and fish now represent bulk of production and exports. economy has fluctuated widely in recent years. Economic development is constrained by a shortage of skilled workers, weak infrastructure, and remoteness from international markets. Tourism provides more than one-fifth of GDP. financial sector is at an early stage of development as is expansion of private sector initiatives. Foreign financial aid from UK, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and China is a critical supplement to GDP, equal to 25%-50% of GDP in recent years. Remittances from workers abroad account for more than $5 million each year.